Title: Holding Out for a Hero
Summary: Nina enlists Greg's help in finding Marie.
Notes: This is the first Episode in The Ghost of a Good Thing Series. Everything's Not Lost is a kind of prologue to this, but you don't have to read it to understand this. All you need to know is that Nick is now living with Greg and this occurred after the Stalker episode.Oh, and please review. Constructive criticism is welcome.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Anything italicized means he/she is speaking in Italian. Oh and Padre means father and Madre means mother.
Chapter One: I Need A Hero
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
--Bonnie Tyler 'Holding Out for a Hero'
Crime Lab—Sunday March 14—10 pm
She held Cassandra's hand tightly in her own as she made her way through the maze of halls to the DNA lab. A light layer of sweat had formed between their clasped hands and she desperately wanted to wipe it off on her blue jeans, but refused to let go of her daughter's hand. Her eyes darted nervously around until she spotted him. He was leaning over a microscope and intently making notes in a small spiral notebook. He clapped his hands together in triumph before leaving his lab.
"Hey Nick I've got your results." He called down the hallway in the opposite direction from where she was standing. She watched his interaction with his co-worker before beginning to drag her daughter along who had been preoccupied in staring at a man watching a movie on many different screens.
"Can I help you?" asked a tall dark skinned man coming out of one of the many offices. Both mother and daughter stopped in their tracks and stared up at him.
"Um." She stuttered. Just then Cassandra tore from her grasp and ran down the hall.
"Padre!" she screeched happily throwing herself into Greg's surprised embrace. He picked her up and kissed her cheek.
"Hello beautiful." He said while looking around and spotting Nina standing next to Warrick. Nina stepped around Warrick and made a beeline for Greg.
"Someone took Marie." Nina stated trying her best to keep her composure.
"Madre is really worried. Will you make her stop worrying?" Cassandra asked looking at Greg keenly.
"I will beautiful." He looked at Nina as he answered, "Let's go in the lab so we can talk." Greg carried Cassandra while Nina followed him. He shut the door behind them.
Nick had been talking to Greg when Cassandra had come running down the hall. The shout of 'padre' had caused a few heads to turn and watch the scene with mild interest. Nick walked over to where Warrick was standing as Greg had begun talking to the girl in a foreign language
"Greg's a father." He stated in skepticism. Warrick watched as the couple conversed with serious expressions on their faces as the child sat in Greg's chair amusing herself. Catharine and Sara came down the hall discussing a case when they spotted both Nick and Warrick standing in the middle of the hall.
"Have we started taking breaks in the hall or is this a new fad?" Sara asked.
"Shouldn't you all be working?" Catherine inquired.
"Greg has a daughter." Nick stated bluntly.
"That's imposs-" Sara was cut off when Warrick pointed to the DNA lab.
"Well I need the results from the blood I gave him to test against my suspect." Catherine pushed between Nick and Warrick and headed towards the lab. "Greg," she said as she opened the door, "I need those results."
"They're right here." He handed her a sheet of paper without missing a beat and then turned back to Nina as she left and shut the door behind her, "Tell me everything that happened."
"Cassandra and I went to Albertson's for some milk because I needed it for dinner. We were only gone fifteen minutes. I shouldn't have left her alone. There was this guy at the club who kept hitting on her and she finally had him thrown out. I was stupid to leave her alone. I should have made her go with me. We were only gone fifteen minutes. I swear."
"What happened when you got back home?"
"The door was left ajar and that's when I knew something was wrong. I took the milk out of its plastic bag and set it on the ground and then used the plastic bag to open the door. I didn't want to ruin any fingerprints on the door if there were any. The apartment had been trashed. I took off my shoes and made Cassandra stay outside so she wouldn't touch anything. I looked everywhere for Marie, but I couldn't find her. What if he killed her? Greg, what if she's dead? What am I supposed to do with out her? She's all I have besides Cassie. She's all I've got left. She can't die. You can't let her die, Greg." Nina was in tears by then and Greg wrapped her in a fierce hug.
"It'll be okay. I'll find her for you. I promise." Greg took Nina by the shoulders and made her look at him, "I'm going to go get Grissom so he can help you. Stay right here, okay?" Nina nodded in understanding and Greg turned and left. Nina took a seat on Greg's swivel chair and pulled Cassandra into her lap. She buried her face in her daughter's hair and breathed in deeply before kissing the top of Cassandra's head.
"Everything's going to be okay Cassie." Nina whispered in her ear.
Greg had gone straight to Grissom's office ignoring the bundle of questions that Nick and Warrick had thrown at him. He knocked firmly on the all ready open door.
"Yes, Greg?" Grissom asked looking up from the papers on his desk. He walked in and shut the door behind him. Taking a deep breath he plunged right in.
"I need you to look into a case for me. Nina says that Marie was kidnapped from their apartment. She doesn't know what happened she said something about a stalker and how she shouldn't have left her alone. But it's not her fault Grissom. And she's so worried and I promised her I'd help her. Nina said she didn't touch anything in the house and she used a plastic bag to open the door so she wouldn't ruin any possible prints. And-"
"Greg," Grissom interrupted, "take a deep breath and calm down. Is Nina here with you now?" Greg nodded his head. "Where is she?"
"In the lab." As soon as Grissom had his answer he was up out of his chair and making his way to the lab. Greg followed behind him closely still trying to grasp the fact that a girl he hadn't seen for six years had come to him for help. Grissom walked into the lab and Nina quickly stood up, setting Cassandra on the chair.
"My name is Gil Grissom," he extended his hand and she took it looking back at Greg questioningly. "Greg has told me you would like to report a crime."
"Sì." She answered.
"I think it might be better if your daughter waited outside while we discussed this." Nina nodded her head as Grissom called Nick and Warrick over from the break room. "Nick, Warrick this is Nina and her daughter-" he turned to Greg for the answer.
"Cassandra."
"This is her daughter Cassandra. Do you think you could take her to the break room for a few minutes? Maybe get her something to eat." Nick stuck out his hand for Cassandra to take.
"She speaks English so they'll be fine with her." Nina told Greg. Warrick looked between the two of them and Greg answered his look.
"Nina says that she speaks English so no worries." Greg translated. Warrick nodded and the trio left the room and Greg closed the door behind them.
"Do you speak English as well, Nina?" Grissom asked. Nina smiled at him and nodded.
"Yes, I do, but you learn more when people think you don't know their language." Grissom nodded in understanding.
"Greg has informed me that you believe a kidnapping has taken place. Could you tell me the woman's name?"
"Marie Bianchi. She's twenty-seven. The three of us, Marie, Cassandra, and my self, all live together in a small apartment off of Nellis Boulevard, Pacific Harbors at Sunrise is the name of the apartment complex. Cassie and I walked to the grocery store because it's not very far away and it was nice outside. Marie was getting ready for work and Shawn hadn't come over yet so I didn't want to have her watch Cassandra. I can afford to be late to work if Shawn is late, but Marie can't."
"Where does Marie work?"
"Club Paradise. It's across the street from UNLV on Naples Drive." She answered giving him a location in case he had never heard of it.
"Do you know of anyone who would want to harm Marie?"
"Well, no, but she had been complaining about this one guy at the Club."
Flashback
Pacific Harbors at Sunrise—Tuesday March 8—3 pm
"I wish you were working at the Club tonight." Marie said as she applied her eye make-up carefully. Nina was submerged in the oversized Roman tub. Cassandra was in the living room putting together a puzzle with Shawn. Tonight was Nina's first night off in three months and she was going to enjoy it immensely. She had filled the bath tub to the brim with oils, salts, and bubbles.
"Why?" she asked blowing a pile of suds off her hand.
"There's some creep that's started coming to the Club. He's been harassing some of the girls. Frank threw him out the other night. You know people like that aren't acceptable with Frank's high clientele."
"What did he do?" Nina sat up straight and looked intently at her best friend. Worry filled her eyes and she was close to making Marie call in sick.
"He's just vulgar and that's disrespectful to the girls. Especially the ones who give him lap dances. I don't think he's coming back though. But guys like him they make me feel really low. Like I'm no better than a hooker." Marie put down her mascara and turned to look at Nina.
"You're not anything like a hooker," Nina told her harshly, "you work at a very respectable place and you choose your profession. You could have been a biochemist, but you decided not to be because you like dancing more. You don't do drugs, you're not an alcoholic, and you most definitely do not get paid to have sex. In fact the only person you've ever had sex with is probably going to end up asking you to marry him in the next decade. So if I ever here you say someone made you feel like a hooker I'll kill them and then slap you for letting them make you feel like that."
"You know if you weren't in the tub I'd hug you." Marie told her smiling brightly.
"Well you can make it up to me by not waking me up when you get home in the morning. Making breakfast would be an added bonus." Nina added as an afterthought.
"Yeah, me make breakfast. Only if you want burnt eggs."
End Flashback
"She went in to work anyway. She didn't say anything more about it. But we kept getting calls and then the person would hang up so we just changed our number and they stopped. I thought we were pretty safe there. I mean it's an apartment complex someone had to have heard something, right? You'll help me won't you Mr. Grissom? You'll find her for me?"
"I'll do the best I can. I can only interpret the evidence we collect."
"That's all I ask." She answered quietly.
"If I may ask, why didn't you call the police?"
"Because they never do anything. They don't even try. When my mother was murdered they didn't even investigate it because my grandfather paid them not to. The coroner ruled it as an overdose and that was the end of it. All I want is for someone to try. You're one of the best crime labs in the country. I didn't think you would let anyone pay you off." Nina told him her voice turning to ice. Grissom nodded and decided not to press the issue further.
"I'll need you to show me where your apartment is and I'll have to bring Detective Brass with us, but rest assured he'll do his best to solve this case. He used to be head of the crime lab before he was transferred."
"Grissom let me come with you. You know moral support for Nina and all." Greg told him putting his arm around Nina's shoulders.
"All right, but for moral support only." Nina smiled shyly and they both followed Grissom out of the lab. "Catherine, Warrick, and Sara you're with me. Nick I need you to stay and look after Cassandra. Call Brass and tell him to meet us at Pacific Harbors at Sunrise. It's on East Sahara." Grissom told him. Nick nodded and Nina hugged Cassandra good-bye before whispering something in her ear. Everyone piled into two vehicles and began the short drive to the apartment complex.
Pacific Harbors at SunriseApartment 218—Sunday March 14—11 pm
Brass was leaning against his cruiser outside of the complex when Grissom pulled into the parking lot followed closely by Warrick. Everyone climbed out and proceeded toward Brass.
"Nick called me and said to meet you here, but he didn't say why." Brass said as a greeting.
"We have a possible kidnapping. This is Nina-"
"Moretti." She filled in for him.
"That sounds vaguely familiar." Catherine piped up trying to remember where she had heard that name before.
"My mother was Antonia Moretti." Nina told her softly. Greg was the only one present that was not astonished by this new found fact.
"The model?" Catherine questioned dumbfounded.
"Yes, the model." Nina sighed. Grissom took this as a sign to move the conversation to another matter.
"Could you show us what apartment is yours?" Grissom asked. Nina nodded and led them into the main lobby.
"Is everything all right Nina? I saw Marie leave tonight with some man." The attendant behind the desk asked.
"Do you know who it was?" Nina asked him. He looked at her blankly before turning to the rest of the group.
"Can someone translate for her? Marie usually does it. My Italian isn't as strong as it used to be."
"She wants to know if you know who it was." Greg told him.
"No, but Marie didn't look to happy about it. I thought it might have been one of Mr. Rossi's workers and there had been some sort of accident. He was wearing a tool belt and had on a name tag."
"Ask him if Shawn's been by tonight?" Nina told Greg.
"Has Shawn been by?" Greg asked.
"No, he hasn't. Is Marie okay?"
"Sì." Nina answered smiling at him. She continued to lead them to the elevator. She pushed the up button and they all waited in a tense silence. Catherine breathed a sigh of relief as the doors opened with a ding. They all crowded on and Nina pushed two for the second floor. She led them down a large hallway until they came to room 218. The door was slightly ajar and a container of milk sat on the red carpet of the hallway.
"Sara, I want you to dust the door for prints. Warrick, Catherine you're with me. Greg and Nina just wait out here." Grissom ordered. Brass went about his own business and began to knock on the adjoining apartments in order to question neighbors. Sara set down her kit and opened it up. She took out the black dust and brush and continued about her work, ignoring Nina's intent stare as she watched.
Upon entering the apartment Warrick took the front half of the apartment which included the living room, dining room, and kitchen; while Grissom and Catherine tackled the three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
"The master bedroom is a wreck. I think we can safely say she was taken against her will."
"But why would she walk out peacefully with him and not bring any attention to herself?"
"Leverage," Catherine had knelt down by the door and had her back to Grissom. He shined his flashlight over towards her as she turned around. In her gloved hand she held a lock of dark mahogany colored hair tied together with a red ribbon. "It looks like it was cut." She added.
"Someone got a haircut recently. Do you think Nina would let us take a hair sample from her and Cassandra?"
"I don't see why not." They both looked up when they heard a commotion begin to take place outside of the apartment.
"Shawn no!" they heard Nina shout. Both quickly stood up and went to the door to see what was going on. Nina stood in between Greg and Shawn a hand on each of their chests.
"What's he doing here, Nina? Where's Marie?" Shawn asked glaring evilly at Greg.
"I don't know Shawn. We think she's been kidnapped. Now if you'll calm down I'll explain everything." Nina told him as evenly as she could. She hadn't known he would react this way to seeing Greg again. She admitted it had been hard working up the courage to ask for help from someone who had become almost a distant memory, but still she had expected a little more from Shawn.
"Marie goes missing and the first person you call is him. Why? Why would you do a thing like that?"
"Because I was cashing in on my 'get out of jail free' card. He works at the crime lab. He can help us."
"The only reason he works there is because we sent him to school. Probably wouldn't have made it without our help."
"Yeah, Shawn you're just ashamed you couldn't make more of yourself. You still a druggie like in the old days or have you progressed to being a dealer by now." Greg shot back venomously. They both made to go for each other, but Nina squeezed in between the two of them.
"Knock it off you two!" she yelled at them.
"Stay out of this Nina." Shawn told her quietly, "he needs to learn how to deal with his mistakes without you cleaning up after him."
"I seem to remember having to clean up after your mistakes. Or is my memory fogged?"
"The past is in the past." Nina told them.
"It would be if he had just confronted it head on, but he ran away like a coward."
"I didn't runaway."
"Oh, yeah then what would you call it?" Nina asked him softly. Greg looked at her the hurt evident in his eyes, but he saw it reflected in her own.
"Nina, come on I'm getting you out of here. We'll figure this out on our own." Shawn turned and began to walk off. Nina looked between the two. She looked at Greg as if pleading for him to understand.
"I have to go Greg. I can't just leave him."
"Nina," he whispered.
"I'm not like you Greg. I can't just turn away." And with that Nina took off down the hall after Shawn. Greg pushed past the other CSI's and their questions and made his way towards the stairwell. Grissom's shout of how would he get back to the lab made him stop.
"I'll call a cab."
To Be Continued
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